Kung Zhu Pets Battle it Out

by Lori Cunningham

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!!

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OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a bit enamored by these cute little hamsters that whistle “your pretty” and giggle, and zoom around.  I’m not alone.  My daughter now has 9 Zhu Zhu pets and has more singled out for her Christmas list.  You may recall the ZhuZhu Wild Bunch Prankster Party we had a couple of months ago.  We all had a blast.  So you can imagine my response when I was asked via e-mail by MomSelect if I had a boy aged 5-8 who would be having a birthday party before the end of November.  Well, I just so happen to have a son who is turning 5 soon, so you guessed it, I was probably the first one to respond back!

For this party,  MomSelect sent me Zhu Zhu Pets made especially for boys called Kung Zhu pets*.  In the large package they sent, came 8 Kung Zhu Pets, 8 packages of armor, one for each pet, and one large battle arena.  My very excited son chose Sergeant Serge,the green Kung ZhuPet, along with green armor.  What a handsome yet fierce competitor Sergeant looked like all dressed up in his armor.

The day of the party finally arrived.  The invitation invited the kids to come to battle, if they were brave enough.  Many of the boys didn’t know about Kung Zhu Pets, so they were so excited to come.

Now, let me tell you, this was like no other birthday party I’ve ever had for my son.  The boys were immediately drawn to the table displaying the Kung Zhu Pets and their armor.  They picked the Kung Zhu Pets up, inspected them, and assessed which

one they would choose for their battle.  To spare us from the stress of handling battles between the boys themselves, we drew numbers and choose the pets in an orderly fashion.

The packaging began flying off the Kung Zhu Pets and their armor.  Before we knew it, our family room was transformed into a battle arena with armor adorned hamsters everywhere.  We were ready for the battle to begin!

In This Corner….

After proper announcement of the hamsters, two of the boy’s Kung Zhu Pets entered the arena, ready for battle.

The adults had as much fun as the kids. We were rooting for our child’s Kung Zhu Pet, pretending we were sports commentators, hanging on every move the hamsters made.  It really did feel that we were watching something like a boxing match.  The whole house was filled with shouting, coaching, and rooting.  I was surprised at how much fun the Kung Zhu Pets and the arena were.  My son’s Kung Zhu Pet ended up winning every competitor; he felt as proud as if he were the Kung Zhu Pet doing battle himself! I later found out, however, that the Kung Zhu Pets have a smart chip in them that helps them to battle better the longer they are in battle.  (say that 5 times fast!)  No wonder why my son’s Sergeant Serge kept winning!

Despite all the fun, it was eventually time for cake and ice cream!  Our talented friend, Marisa, created a handmade cake to capture the essence of my son’s favorite Kung Zhu Pet – Sergeant!   Needless to say, the cake was a hit!

A Mom’s Perspective

As I mentioned before, this birthday party was different than any other party I’d given for my son.  The  boys had so much fun playing with their Kung Zhu Pets and the arena, I didn’t even need to conduct the other party games I had planned.  In fact, there were times during the party where I actually forgot we were having my son’s birthday party!  The boys were playing well together, having a blast, and were quite amused.  The adults were chatting, eating, and enjoying themselves.  It finally hit me three-fourths through the  party, oooh, it’s time for presents!

If you are looking for something fun to give your son this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with a Kung Zhu Pet – but warning – you’re going to need two to go to battle!  Kung Zhu Pets retail for $9.99 and the armour retails for $7.99, at least those are the prices I paid at Toys R Us when I needed to buy one more pet for the party.  The arena sells for $29.99.

For those of you with girls, I’ve heard about the new Zhu Zhu Pet Princesses that are coming out.  Word on the mommy blogger street says that they will be a HUGE hit this Christmas.  So, in your early shopping, if you come across them or their accessories, grab them.  They are sure to sell out.  I’ve also heard that they will only be available at Wal-mart, thought I don’t know if this is true or not.

One last thing, I’m THRILLED to announce that the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets asked me if I would be interested in being a part of the RAZ program – RAZ = Random Acts of Zhu.  They are hoping to promote random acts of kindness during the holidays.  Across the country they asked 100 bloggers to select their favorite charities and give away 100 Zhu Zhu Pets to them!  What a blast!  I’ll be setting up some details on the WellConnectedMom.com Facebook page to ask for local volunteers to help with the fun.  More details coming soon.